According to a new clinical study, a combination of Nd:YAG laser and optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging can provide an effective non-invasive treatment for the majority of basal cell skin cancers. The clinical report states that by combining Nd:YAG laser with optical coherence tomography for nonsurgical treatment of basal cell carcinoma, 102 patients with 119 basal cell carcinomas were treated. The 1064nm Nd:YAG laser was applied and tumour margins measured using OCT. Every two months, the patients received treatments until no residual tumours remained and were monitored for one year afterwards.
After just one session, results showed that 71.4 per cent of tumours were cleared, while the rate of complete clearance without visible recurrence in all patients was 98 per cent.